(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Twenty years after launching a bold vision for collaborative fish habitat conservation, the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) announced the release of the third edition of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan—a comprehensive roadmap that outlines strategies for conserving America’s freshwater and marine habitats by convening a broad suite of public and private sector organizations and businesses to address national and regional priorities that benefit the American people.
As the National Fish Habitat Partnership enters its third decade, the new Plan will guide the program by focusing its efforts on specific, measurable objectives that strengthen partnerships and leverage investments in fish habitat conservation for maximum impact.
The Plan’s objectives address four goals:
- Providing national leadership and coordination;
- Mobilizing support for fish habitat conservation;
- Achieving measurable science-based outcomes; and
- Evaluating and communicating the status of fish habitat and addressing gaps in scientific knowledge.
Originally developed in 2006, the first National Fish Habitat Action Plan established the nation’s first coordinated, voluntary, science-based strategy for protecting, restoring, and enhancing America’s fish habitats. The 2026 Plan reflects nearly two decades of lessons learned while providing an updated blueprint for addressing today’s conservation challenges.
“For twenty years, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan has challenged us to think beyond individual projects and organizations and work together across agencies, organizations, and landscapes,” said Tim Schaeffer, Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board and Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. “The updated Plan positions NFHP and the aquatic conservation community at large to meet the next generation of conservation challenges through science, innovation, and enduring partnerships. It is a renewed call to action for the future.
The National Fish Habitat Partnership was created to solve a challenge that no single organization could address alone. In 2002, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council identified the need for a national framework to coordinate voluntary, landscape-scale fish habitat conservation. That vision led to the first Action Plan in 2006 and continues to guide the Partnership in its work to conserve fish habitat by leveraging federal, state, tribal, and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact.
NFHP works through 20 regional Fish Habitat Partnerships, each organized around key fish species, geographic areas, or habitat types. They conduct habitat condition assessments, develop strategic priorities, and support on-the-ground projects to address those priorities. Over the last 20 years, NFHP has invested $380 million to complete over 1,800 strategically selected projects in all 50 states.
Thank you to the US Forest Service, which provided visual design, document formatting, and layout services for the third edition of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
For more information or to see how you can connect with one of our 20 regional Fish Habitat Partnerships, visit https://fishhabitat.org.
